The Tingle Factor Box

Roy Creates Quick Kulich Loaves

This Easter, Roy decided he wanted to try his hand at making something he has heard about, but hadn’t had the chance to try. Kulich is a traditional Easter bread which is made in countries including Russia, Romania, Serbia and the Ukraine. It is traditionally taken to Church for the Easter service and blessed, then eaten before breakfast. Leftover Kulich is eaten with Pashka for dessert (or breakfast!) Usually, it is made in round tins, like fruit or coffee tins, but Roy didn’t have any of these to hand. Nor did he have the time to make a proper Kulich which goes through multiple rises. Then, he found a recipe in an old cookbook for ‘Quick Kulich’ and was impressed by the results. So this week, Roy Creates Quick Kulich Loaves.

You Will Need:

• 3 and ½ cups of plain flour, plus one cup of plain flour – so 4 and ½ cups in total.
• ¼ of a cup of sugar
• 4 and ½ teaspoons of quick acting yeast
• 1 teaspoon of salt
• 1 teaspoon of nutmeg
• ½ a cup of milk
• ¼ of a cup of water
• ¼ of a cup of butter
• 4 eggs
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
• ½ a cup of chopped nuts (Roy used walnuts)
• 1 cup of mixed fruit
• 1/3 of a cup of icing sugar
• 1 to 2 teaspoons of milk

Method:

• Prepare two bread tins by greasing them with butter

• In a large bowl, combine the 3 and ½ cups of flour, sugar, yeast, nutmeg and salt and mix thoroughly
• In a small saucepan heat the milk, water and butter together until they are hot but not boiling (about 50 or 60 degrees celcius)
• In a small bowl, lightly beat the eggs and vanilla together with a fork

• Add the milk, water and butter mix to the dry ingredients and mix
• Add the egg mix and mix thoroughly

• Add the fruit and nuts and mix together
• Add more flour until you have a soft dough. You may not need the whole extra cup of flour
• Knead the bread on a lightly floured surface for about 4 minutes, adding more flour if the dough becomes too sticky.

• Divide the dough into two and knead them into rough loaf shapes

• Drop the dough into the bread tins, cover with plastic wrap and a clean cloth (Roy used a tea towel) and set aside in a warm place to rise. This will take around 30 minutes and the dough will double in size
• Bake for 20 to 30 minutes depending on the size of your loaves. You will know the Kulich is cooked if you tap it and it sounds hollow

• Take the bread out of the tins (they should come out easily) and cool on a cooling rack
• When the bread is cold, mix together the icing sugar and enough of the milk to make a glaze. Drizzle over the bread and allow to set
• Slice the Kulich and enjoy either with butter or, if you have some, with Pashka!
• Enjoy

Roy Creates A Truly Scrumptious Chocolate Fruity Slice

This week, Roy found some leftover cornflakes in the cupboard and wanted to find some way to use them up. I remembered a recipe he had wanted to make some time ago which used cornflakes, but which we hadn’t made because we didn’t have any on hand. This seemed the perfect time to give the slice a go. The results were delicious, and all the people who Roy shared a piece with thought it was absolutely scrumptious. So this week, Roy Creates A Truly Scrumptious Chocolate Fruity Slice.

You Will Need:

• 1 cup of self raising flour
• 1 cup of cornflakes
• 1 cup of coconut
• ½ a cup of sugar
• 1 tablespoon of cocoa
• 1 cup of mixed fruit
• 155 grams of margarine
• 1 teaspoons of golden syrup
• ½ a teaspoon of vanilla extract

Method:

• Start by preheating the oven to 180 degrees and lining a lamington tin with baking paper
• Mix together the flour, coconut, sugar, cornflakes and cocoa
• Melt together the margarine and golden syrup
• Add the vanilla to the margarine and syrup mix and then add all the wet ingredients to the dry mix
• Mix everything together thoroughly
• Press the mix into the lamington tin and bake for 20 minutes or until its golden brown.
• If you like, ice with chocolate icing. Roy did, but you certainly don’t have to!
• Cut into slices and enjoy!

Roy Creates Delicious Devilled Steak

 

This week, Roy was looking for something quick, easy and delicious to do for dinner. He was having a big cooking day, and wanted something which he could just prepare and put aside, to cook later. As he went through our old cookbooks, we came across a very simple recipe for devilled steak which looked ideal, and the resulting steak was delicious. So this week, Roy Creates Delicious Devilled Steak.

You Will Need:

• 750 grams of steak, cut into individual portions
• 2 tablespoons of brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon of Worcestershire Sauce
• 2 tablespoons of tomato sauce
• 2 tablespoons of white wine vinegar
• Salt and pepper to taste

Method:

• Mix together the tomato sauce, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce and vinegar in a small bowl
• Season to taste with salt and fresh pepper

• Put the meat into a bag or marinade (Roy just used a bag, which he could throw away later) and add the marinade mix
• Ensure the marinade covers all the steak
• Set aside for 2 hours to marinade and flavour the steak
• Grill or fry the steak (Roy fried his steak, and also fried off the remaining marinade with it, which made a nice sauce)
• Serve with salad or vegetables
• Enjoy!

Roy Creates A Scrumptious Chocolate Cherry Slice

This week, Roy had a hankering for something chocolatey. Roy loves chocolate, but he didn’t want something too rich, because he wasn’t in need of a dessert. We had found a recipe some time ago for a chocolate, cherry slice, similar to an Armenian Nutmeg Slice, and thought it would be a good opportunity to give it a go. The resulting slice was delicious - crisp on the bottom and cakey on the top. So this week, Roy Creates A Scrumptious Chocolate Cherry Slice

You Will Need:

 

• 2 cups of brown sugar
• 2 cups of self raising flour
• 3 tablespoons of cocoa
• 90 grams of soft butter or margarine
• A packet of glace cherries, each cut in half
• 1 teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda
• 1 cup of milk
• 1 egg, lightly beaten with a fork
• Slivered almonds to scatter over the top

Method:

• Preheat the oven to 180 degrees celsius and line a lamington tray with baking paper

• Mix together the brown sugar, flour and 2 tablespoons of cocoa. 
• Rub or cut the butter into the sugar and flour mix until it resembles very fine breadcrumbs

• Press half of this mix into the lamington tray, pressing down firmly to hold it in place
• Scatter the halved cherries over the base
• In another bowl, mix together the milk and bicarbonate of soda

• Add the egg and remaining tablespoon of cocoa and mix together
• Pour the wet mix into the remaining sugar and flour mix and stir to combine
• Pour over the cherries (being careful not to move the cherries to the edges as you do)

• Scatter the mix with the almonds
• Bake for 35 minutes or until a skewer or cake tester inserted into the cake comes out clean
• Cool, cut into squares and store in an airtight container
• Enjoy!

Roy Creates A Scrumptious German Rhubarb Slice

This week, Roy was asked to bring a delicious dessert to a picnic gathering. He knew one of the people going couldn’t eat chocolate, and he wanted something which she could enjoy, and which was in ‘traditional dessert’ territory. We looked through my many old cookbooks, looking for something which would be suitable for the occasion. Then, we came across a recipe for a German Rhubarb Slice, which looked like a cross between a cake and a crumble. It was perfect, and everybody loved it. So this week, Roy Creates A Scrumptious German Rhubarb Slice. 

You Will Need:

 

For the base:

• 120 grams of margarine
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 a cup of sugar
• A pinch of salt
• 1/2 a teaspoon of vanilla essence
• 1 and a 1/2 cups of self raising flour
• 1/3 of a cup of custard powder 
• 3 tablespoons of milk
• A bunch of rhubarb, leaves removed (the leaves are toxic - so throw them away!) Wash and throughly dry the rhubarb

For the crumble topping:

• 3/4 of a cup of plain flour
• 75 grams of butter
• 1/2 a cup of sugar
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla

Method:

• Preheat the oven to 180 degrees celsius and line a lamington tin with baking paper. 
• Cream the margarine, sugar and vanilla. 

• Add the eggs one at a time, beating them into the mix thoroughly
• Sift together the self raising flour, custard powder and salt
• Fold the sifted dry ingredients into the margarine and sugar mix. Alternate adding the dry ingredients with the milk, mixing as you go. 
• Pour the mix into the prepared tray and smooth

• Cut the rhubarb into small pieces (about 1 to 2 centimetres long) and place over the top of the base mix
• Mix together the flour and sugar for the crumble topping. 

• Add the butter and vanilla, and rub the mix together until it resembles fine bread crumbs (you can use a pastry cutter instead if you have one)

• Sprinkle over the top of the rhubarb
• Bake for 45 minutes, or until golden on top, and the base is cooked through
• Enjoy! Roy took this on a picnic and ate it cold, but he thinks it would be just as good warm!

 

Roy Creates A Most Excellent Boiled Fruitcake

This week, Roy wanted to make a fruitcake. Roy likes to have a fruitcake on hand, because it is excellent for giving to unexpected guests, and his Grandpa loves such cakes. Yet, he wanted to try something new too. He had come across a recipe called ‘An Excellent Fruitcake’ and thought it sounded promises, so decided to give it a go. The results were very tasty, and his Grandpa thought it was great. So this week, Roy Creates A Most Excellent Boiled Fruitcake

You Will Need:

• 1 cup sugar
• 375 grams dried fruit (use whatever mix of fruit you like. Roy used raisins, currants and some mixed fruit)
• 5 tablespoons of margarine
• 1 teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda
• 1 teaspoon of mixed spice
• 1 teaspoon of cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon of ginger 
• 1 teaspoon of cocoa
• 1 cup chopped dates
• 1 tablespoon of golden syrup
• 1 cup cold water
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup of self raising flour
• 1 cup of plain flour

Optional - Roy added some slivered almonds or you could add other nuts which you liked. 
If you are an adult, you could also add a tablespoon of rum

Method:

• Start off by lining a square cake tin with baking paper and preheating the oven to 180 degrees celsius

• In a large pot, put the sugar, margarine, fruit, bicarbonate of soda, mixed spice, cinnamon, ginger, cocoa, dates, golden syrup and water. 
• Bring the mix to the boil, make sure everything is well mixed together and then allow it to cool. The mix will foam up, but the foam will subside as it cools
• Lightly beat the eggs in another, small bowl

• Add the plain and self raising flours to the wet ingredients. Also add the nuts and rum if you are using them
• Finally, add the eggs and mix everything together thoroughly

• Pour the mix into the prepared pan and, if you like, sprinkle with more nuts
• Bake for 1 and 1/4 hours, or until the cake is cooked though (a skewer, poked into the centre of the cake should come out clean)
• Allow to cool and enjoy!
• Roy recommends leaving any fruitcake for a day before cutting it. It seems to cut better!

Roy Creates An Old Fashioned Throat Remedy - Apple Throat Tonic

This week, with the weather having turned cold and windy, Roy decided it was time to share an old recipe he had discovered for an ‘apple throat soother’. Roy is fond of honey and lemon when he has a sore throat, but knew some of his friends don’t like it, so thought an apple version might be more to their taste. Roy didn’t like it as much himself, but did find it quite successful at soothing a sore throat. So this week, Roy Creates An Old Fashioned Throat Remedy - Apple Throat Tonic. 

You Will Need:

• 2 large cooking apples. Roy used Granny Smiths. 
• 600 millilitres of water
• Honey to taste (at least 1 teaspoon)
• 1/2 a teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda
• A pinch each of ground ginger, cinnamon and nutmeg

Method:

• Wash and dry the apples

• Core the apples and cut roughly into chunks (you do not need to skin the apples)
• Put the apples and water into a saucepan and boil until the apples are soft

• Mash the apples and then strain the mix, throwing away the apple pulp

• Add the bicarbonate soda and honey to taste to the liquid and stir to combine
• Add a sprinkle of ginger, cinnamon and nutmeg
• Serve warm to soothe a sore throat 

Roy Creates Chocolate Quik Apricot Slice

This week, Roy decided he wanted to try another old recipe he recently found in one of his many cookbooks. Roy has found many usual recipes over time, and is often impressed and pleased by the results. Recently he found a recipe which used NesQuik (or Quik as it was then known) as a major ingredient. He thought this sounded interesting, and was very pleased with the results. He thought it would be a perfect recipe to share with his online friends. So this week, Roy Creates Chocolate Quik Apricot Slice

You Will Need:

• 125 grams of butter or margarine
• 60 grams of sugar
• 180 grams of self raising flour
• 60 grams of coconut
• 2 teaspoons of Nesquik
• Apricot jam

PLUS 

• 4 tablespoons of Nesquik
• 8 tablespoons of icing sugar
• 2 teaspoons butter or margarine
• 1 to 2 tablespoons of milk, warmed

Method:

• Start by lining a lamington tray with baking paper and preheating the oven to 180 degrees. In the pictures, Roy is using a swiss roll tin, but he thinks a lamington tin would work better. 
• Cream the butter and sugar thoroughly, until it is light and fluffy
• And the flour and quik and stir together

• Mix in the coconut

• Press the mix into the lamington tin, pressing down firmly to make it nice and solid
• Bake for 25 minutes or until slightly golden

• In the last few minutes of baking time, mix together the Nesquik, icing sugar, margarine and sufficient warm milk to make an icing. 

• Spread the slice with apricot jam while still hot

• Spread the icing evenly over the base
• Cut into squares and allow the slice to cool in the tin
• Store the slice in an airtight container and enjoy!

Note: You could use other jams instead of apricot - Roy thinks marmalade would be awesome!

Roy Creates Spicy Fruit And Chocolate Cakes

This week, Roy wanted to create some sort of small cake with a deliciously spiced flavour. He had a friend coming who loves spiced cakes, but he didn’t want a big cake for the occasion, as it seemed a little over the top! We looked through our old cookbooks searching for inspiration and eventually came across a recipe in a very old Nestle cook book for ‘spicy cup cakes’. They didn’t seem to have any spice in them, but they sounded nice, so Roy tried them out with a little mixed spice added to the recipe. The results were spectacular, and he wanted to share the recipe. So this week, Roy Creates Spicy Fruit And Chocolate Cakes.

You Will Need

• 85 grams of butter or margarine
• 1 cup of sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 cups of plain flour
• 1 teaspoon of baking powder
• 1/2 a teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda
• 1/3 of a cup of sour milk (you can make sour milk by adding a squeeze of lemon juice to the milk a few minutes before using)
• 1 cup of mixed dried fruit
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla
• 125 grams of chocolate chips (Roy used dark chocolate, because it’s his favourite, but use whatever you prefer)
• 1 teaspoon of mixed spice

Method:

• Line 24 small cupcake trays with papers and preheat the oven to 180 degrees
• Cream the butter and sugar together

• Add the eggs, one at a time, and mix thoroughly 
• Stir in the vanilla
• Sift together the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and mixed spice

• Add the flour, alternating it with the milk and mix to a dough

• Add the chocolate and fruit and mix

• Divide the mix between the 24 cupcake trays
• Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until the cakes are golden and cooked through
• Cool on a cooling rack and store in an airtight container
• Enjoy!

Roy Creates Crisp and Delicious Bread Cases

This week, Roy was hosting lunch for a few of his friends. Being so cold, he wanted to create something warm and delicious, but he also wanted something easy to prepare ahead of time and not too heavy. I suggested he try an old fashioned recipe for savoury bread cases, and he was very happy with the results. So this week, Roy Creates Crisp and Delicious Bread Cases. Come back next week for some ideas of fillings!

You Will Need:

• Sliced white bread
• Butter (melted)
• Muffin tins
• Fillings (of your choice. Roy will share two fillings next week, but you can use whatever you like)

Method:

• Preheat the oven to 180 degrees celsius

• Carefully cut the crusts from the bread. You can put these aside for the compost, or to feed to the birds.
• Use your palms to flatten the bread

• Brush both sides of a slice of bread with melted butter (be generous!)

• Gently push the bread into one of the muffin holes, manipulating it so the centre of the slice of bread is in the bottom. Press the bread around the edges and squash the corners together if needed to form a case, ready for filling
• Repeat with remaining bread
• Bake the cases for 20 minutes, or until golden and crispy
• Cool in the tin
• You can store these cases in an airtight container until you are ready to use them. 
• Heat them slightly to make them crisp before serving (if you are filling with a premade filling which also needs heating, you can do it all at once!)
• Come back next week for two filling ideas!